


And Then There Were Five (Once More)

by MikaylaJae



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Bullet wound, Car Accidents, Coma, Five is hurt bad, Gunshot Wounds, Hospitals, Life Sucks Then You Die, Sibling Love, Siblings, i love them so they must SUFFER, like jaws of life bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26371144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikaylaJae/pseuds/MikaylaJae
Summary: The next thirty minutes went by in flashes for Klaus and Diego. Car lights flashing as they drove by. A woman pulling over to make sure everyone was okay. Red and white flashing lights. The sound of a siren. The creak of metal as the jaws of life pry open Five’s door. The strobe effect of the helicopter landing and the sound it made. The paramedics gently placing Five on a gurney. Wheeling him into the helicopter. Klaus and Diego being checked over and taken to the hospital themselves.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 85





	And Then There Were Five (Once More)

* * *

* * *

A moment of silence hung heavy in the car before Five spoke up. 

“What the fuck was that?” 

“What?” Diego replied, looking back at Five for a moment. 

“With Lila.” Five practically growled to which Diego immediately snapped back. 

“None of your damn business, okay?” Five sighed, frustrated with his brother.

“Whatever. I knew that bitch was up to no good.” He grimaced when a sudden bump jostled the gunshot wound in his side. “Why the fuck are you driving so slow? We’re being chased by the maniacs who fucking shot me!”

Klaus, who had remained silent, finally piped up. 

“You were shot?” 

“Why the hell didn’t you lead with that?!” Diego shouted before slamming on the gas. They continued bickering for not even five minutes when a car came out from nowhere and smashed into the left-hand side of the car— Five’s side to be exact. 

As soon as soon as the car stopped moving, Klaus shakily checked on his brothers. 

“Diego? Five?” A quiet groan escaped Diego’s lips. “Diego? You alright?”

“Just peachy.” He replied sarcastically and Klaus ignored the comment, turning his attention towards Five.

“Now is not the time for sarcasm Diego! Five?” He turned around to see Five slumped over bonelessly. Klaus unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed into the back, sitting next to him and laying his head in his lap, gently shaking him. Not even a groan escaped Five’s lips as Klaus tried to wake him. “Diego, call an ambulance! Five!” 

The next thirty minutes went by in flashes for Klaus and Diego. Car lights flashing as they drove by. A woman pulling over to make sure everyone was okay. Red and white flashing lights. The sound of a siren. The creak of metal as the jaws of life pry open Five’s door. The strobe effect of the helicopter landing and the sound it made. The paramedics gently placing Five on a gurney. Wheeling him into the helicopter. Klaus and Diego being checked over and taken to the hospital themselves. 

Diego woke up in a scratchy bed with scratchy sheets and even scratchier bandages around his head as well as an IV stinging the back of his hand and a sling keeping his arm in place. He suddenly sat up, remembering the night before and began to unwrap the bandages around his head and kicked the sheets off his legs. He was in the middle of pawing off the IV when a nurse came in. 

“Sir, you need to keep your IV in.”

“Where’s my brother?! I need to see him!” He shouts, standing up. 

“Sir, please sit back down so I can make sure you don’t have brain damage and then we can get you discharged. Who, pray tell, is your brother?”

“Five.” Diego’s voice broke, “Five Hargreeves.” The nurse shot him a sympathetic look. 

“He’s in the pediatric ICU. Had a gunshot wound and shrapnel from the car door in his torso,as well as possible brain damage. We won’t know how bad it is until he wakes up...  if  he wakes up...”

“If he... Oh God... What about a Klaus Hargreeves? Is he alright?” 

“He should be discharged soon. He woke up this morning. I can bring him in if you’d like.” 

“Please.”

Five woke up. He found it rather easy to get up and walk around despite the pain he remembered feeling before he blacked out. His first instinct was to go to his brothers’ rooms. He left his room and went to reception. 

“Excuse me, I’m looking for a Klaus and a Diego Hargreeves?” He put his hands in his pockets and put his weight onto one leg as he waited for the nurse to respond. She kept her head down and continued working. “Ummm... Hello?” There was still no reply. It was like she didn’t even hear him. He tried everything. He waved his hands in her face, snapped his fingers in her face, even pounded his fist on the desk. Nothing. Five backed away in shock, pushing down the panic that was bubbling in his gut. He raced back to his room to see himself laying in the bed with a ventilator running down his throat. The panic broke through and the room began to spin. It was all too much. 

After receiving a call from a very worried Klaus, Allison, Vanya, and Luther rushed to the hospital to see a rather unscathed Klaus. 

“Klaus?” Vanya asked softly. “You said... You said you were in a bad accident, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, it... it’s Five that’s not. I...” his hands shook as he remembered the blood all over Five’s face and body as he laid him in his lap. A nurse came in. 

“Mr. Hargreeves, your brother Diego is asking for you and your discharge papers have been processed.” 

Klaus nods and, along with his siblings, follows the nurse to Diego’s room. 

When they get there, Diego is already dressed and discharged. 

“He’s in the pediatric ICU in room 437. Come on.” He says, grabbing the rest of his things and going to the elevator. The air is tense as they hurry to their brother’s room. They all head for the door, however a nurse stops them. 

“You must be the boy’s family. Only one is allowed in at a time. He is still under critical care. He is in a medicated coma so his body can heal. It can be overwhelming, but it is to keep him alive. We are doing everything we can to keep him with us.” They nodded in acknowledgment before talking among themselves regarding who should go first. As they were deciding, Ben slipped into the room, surprised when he heard sniffling and soft sobs. He looked around the room, finally seeing Five curled up, crying in the corner. Ben was vaguely aware of Diego entering the room and sitting in one of the chairs next to Five’s bed, his lifeless body still half covered with the sheet.

Ben slowly crouches down in front of Five.

“Five.” He says softly. 

“Ben?” He asks, looking up to see his brother whom last he had seen him was at breakfast the same day he time jumped and got stuck in the apocalypse, learning of his death not a month later after reading Vanya’s book. Five is left speechless as he slowly realizes that he is, in fact, dying. He sobbed harder and Ben gently held his brother. “I don’t want to die... I- I can’t. I need to get everyone home. I can’t go knowing what I saw was true and they’re going to die, Ben. I want to forget it but I can’t, no matter how hard I try. It’s all up to me, I—“

“Shhh... don’t worry about that right now. I’m right here. Just calm down.” Ben interrupted gently. 

“I missed you...”

“I know, Five. I know. I’m here now. Relax. I’m here.” Five slumped into Ben’s arms and relaxed, inevitably falling asleep. In that moment, Five was no longer an assassin nor a 58 year old man trapped in a 13 year old’s body. He was a child who is just now allowing himself to feel after having his childhood ripped away from him. 

Finally, it was Klaus’s turn to visit Five. A few minutes in, he noticed Ben on the floor. 

“I was wondering why it’s been so quiet.” Klaus said, however he was too distraught to put any meaning into it. Ben remained quiet. “Why are you on the floor, anyway?”

“Five’s asleep.” He said quietly. 

“What do you mean he’s asleep? Of course he is, he’s in a coma.”

“You... don’t see him?” He looked down at Five and suddenly, his vitals dipped, allowing Klaus to see a vague silhouette for a moment. 

“Wait, I saw him! It was kinda vague and silhouetty but I saw him.” 

“I think he’s close enough to death that I can see him, but not enough to be considered dead.” He looked down at Five who was sleeping peacefully for the first time in years. 

Hours went by and the siblings took turns sitting at Five’s bedside, each noting the difference between Five in his suits and uniform versus the hospital gown and bandages. At some point, Five woke up and really looked at his body for the first time. He was thin and the hospital gown draped over his slender form made him look much smaller. Wires and tubes ran up and down and across his torso and bandages wrapped around his chest and stomach from the gunshot wound and shrapnel that had lodged its way through his skin and into his body. He was bruised and pale and a tube snaked down his throat. Five whimpered softly. 

“Am I going to die?” He asked softly, looking up to Ben. He hesitated 

“I don’t know, Five. I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, the heart monitor let out a continuous, angry ring as other alarms around Five began to go off. Five let out a panicked cry as Ben realized what was going on. As nurses and doctors began to rush in and usher Diego out, Ben holds Five back and tries to keep his head down, not letting him see his limp body jolt at every increase of the energy increase of the defibrillator. He tries to drown out the urgent cries telling the nurses to push more adrenaline and stimulants into his body with comforting words.

Five punches at his chest, too distraught to remember his ability. After fighting for his life for over thirty minutes, the doctors call time of death. His hearing turning to a staticky ringing in his ears. He slumps over, defeated and in shock. He stared ahead, the only other sounds he can hear are the sounds of his siblings crying and Ben gently trying to get his attention. The latter was quieter and much more vague. The crying felt as if it pierced through his chest. His ghosty, non existent, dead chest... Five stares at the wall blankly, not even noticing Ben looking into his eyes. It’s only when Ben shakes him gently that he somewhat snaps out of his daze. 

“I’m really dead... Aren’t I...?” His face is blank and his eyes are dull, yet Ben can still see the overwhelming sadness drowning him and his heart breaks.

“I’m sorry... We need to go now.” Ben says gently. 

“I can’t... I...” his voice is void of all emotion.

The nurses slowly begin to rid Five’s body of the IVs and tubes and wires, each one breaking his heart further. 

“I know...” he hesitates. “Can I?”

Five just barely nods and Ben ever so gently picks him up, walking out into the hallway and sitting him in a chair. He looks to his siblings. 

Luther held Allison gently. He was distraught, but would never show it until later. It ate him up inside. He had failed another one of his brothers. He should have gone with them. He should have protected Five. 

Diego’s grief showed itself in anger. He waited for a nurse to come out so he could tell them they should have done better. In reality, he blamed himself as well. It was his fault his frustrations got the best of him and caused him to lose control of the car. 

Allison sobbed in Luther’s arms however it made nothing better. Not like it did when Ben died. She had blamed herself for his death and Luther talked her out of it and took all of her blame. Now she couldn’t blame herself. Luther had nothing to take from her. 

Vanya cried softly as unfamiliar memories of her and Five as kids flashed through her mind. She felt an odd sense of closeness to him despite only knowing him for a couple days. 

Klaus saw Ben carry Five to a chair and sobbed at how broken Five looked. He watched as Ben tried to bring him back from this dissociative state he was in. He stood up and walked to his brother, secretly beyond thankful the hospital had taken his drugs and alcohol. He used his ability to gently hold the sides of Five’s face and caress his cheeks. 

At the touch, Five let a couple tears roll down his cheeks. 

“Klaus...” Five said softly and looked up at his brother. 

“Hey, Fivey.” He said with a watery smile. 

“You can actually see me... I thought... I was scared— terrified even— you wouldn’t be able to see me.”

Hearing Klaus speak and seeing his hands on the bottom half of a face, his abilities conjuring up just enough to touch his cheeks. 

“Klaus? What’s going on?” Allison asked, voice thick with emotion. Klaus looked to Five as if for approval. 

“Show them. I want them to see me like this. I’ve never shown this side of myself to more than one person.” He said sadly. Klaus nodded. 

“It’s Five.” Diego had enough. He pinned Klaus to the wall, getting in his face. 

“You do  not get to do that. Don’t  pretend you can summon him. Not unless you can which I highly doubt.” Diego kept going until Vanya stopped him. 

“Diego, stop! Let him go.” She noted Klaus’s indifference to what Diego was saying and realized he was being completely serious. Diego let him go and he went back to Five. 

“He’s here. He...” Klaus hesitated, a lump in his throat making it difficult to continue. “He wanted everyone to see him like this.”

Klaus didn’t wait for any of his siblings to respond before conjuring Five and even Ben. 

Five sat crisscrossed in the plastic chair, now sobbing. Ben sat beside Five and comforted him. Five looked up and sniffled. 

“Can you guys see me?” He asked softly. Allison immediately stepped forward and pulled him close. 

“Five...” he didn’t resist to Allison’s hug. She looked up and went to Ben as everyone else said their goodbyes. 

“I’m sorry...”Five squeezed his eyes shut before sobbing again. “I’ve let all of you down.”

“No. You haven’t.” Luther said sadly as he gently wiped the tears from Five’s cheeks. “We let you down. More than one of us were angry that you weren’t here whether they said it aloud or not. We didn’t realize that you sacrificed everything for us. We didn’t realize it was done out of love.”

Luther gently hugged Five. Vanya joined in next. Then Ben. Then Allison. Then finally, Klaus and Diego and finally, for one last time, The Umbrella Academy stood together, all a sobbing mess.

“I love you guys.” Five finally admitted as Klaus let Five and Ben dematerialize.

* * *

* * *

.Then there were five once more


End file.
